I dreamed I was missing
You were so scared
But no one would listen
Cause no one else cared
After my dreaming
I woke with this fear
What am I leaving
When I'm done here?

**********

Aiden hummed as she finished folding and putting away the last shirt in her laundry pile. Work had kept her so busy that her home looked like a tornado blew through. She was happy that she could clean the entire place on her first day off. Even if it did take all day, she thought as she glanced out the window to stare at the starry sky.

A few weeks had passed since the incident with Roy and the bruising around her neck had faded drastically. There was no more need for the neckerchief so she switched to a small amount of concealer she'd borrowed from Gracia. Aiden estimated that she'd only need it for a few more days, tops.

The other incident however... well, they'd never had the chance to talk about what happened. Riza and Jean could guess what happened but neither would bring it up. Especially at work.

Roy had tried cornering Aiden a few times but she was either too busy or she'd scurry off to some unknown location. Aiden just wasn't sure what to do around the man! She'd been so careful tiptoeing around him and then he went and did that and she'd responded! Forget keeping the timeline intact for just a moment and she was acting like a nervous schoolgirl! Aiden groaned, she was hopeless.

A quick trip to the fridge and Aiden's arms were full of ingredients to cook chicken strips and corn on the cob. There was enough for a few people. She frowned.

This job Truth had her on would never allow her to have a family like Maes. Not until the very end and maybe not even then. How was she supposed to tell a person where she was from? If she couldn't be one hundred percent honest with her husband, then it would be just like lying! Yet a part of her craved the idea of having a family of her own like she once did. Something she would never have again. Aiden wanted to be responsible for another person again. Especially her own child... but she would never have it. All because she could never be honest.

It was only a matter of time before her friends left her too. They all had lives to live and Aiden would be stuck in the path as they walked ahead. They wouldn't notice she was behind because they would all think she was right behind them. Even Roy would move on without her.

Aiden scoffed, she was such a pessimistic person. It wasn't like she was intentionally clawing away at her self-esteem; she was just facing the facts! There would come a time when no one would need her and she'd be left alone. To live out the rest of her days in solitude. It didn't matter how or when.

Aiden punched the wall next to her, barely flinching at the pain. Punching a wall wasn't the best stress reliever, anyone knew that. She pulled her hand away and glanced down in disinterest at her knuckles.

She sighed and got back to her task and just as she went to turn on the oven a knock sounded from her door. She vaguely wondered who would knock at such a time and somehow it wasn't surprising to see Roy standing in her doorway. The thing that did surprise her, however, was Riza standing behind him, and she could see Falman and a suit of armor as well.

"Well this is unexpected," she admitted, staring at the four.

"Sorry to barge in like this, but there was nowhere else we could go," Roy apologized.

Aiden stared at them for a moment longer and opened the door for the quartet to walk in. Roy nodded in thanks and Riza and Falman gave looks of apology. The suit of armor came in last and looked over the apartment before his eyes settled on her. Aiden noted the large knife he was holding.

"Wow!" he gasped, stepping forward. "You're as lovely as this Hawkeye girl over here!" Aiden's face burned red. "Please let me chop you up!" The heat in her face vanished quicker than it came. Falman's hand was on his face and Riza had her gun pointed at the suit of armor but she focused her attention on Roy.

"Stand aside, Aiden," Roy muttered darkly, slipping on his flame glove. "There's going to be a fire tonight."

Aiden came out of her shock and glared at the armor. Then she swiped her leg into the neck of the armor and floored him before anyone could blink. "The fuck you will," she growled. Aiden turned to look at Falman and her glare must've been something to fear because the man shuddered. "Explain."

Falman gulped. "Well you see-"

The armor sat up and Aiden took note of its head, or lack thereof. She nodded in understanding. "Another like Alphonse I take it?"

"And that's not all of it," Roy sighed. "Apparently the person inside is the executed murderer known as Barry the Chopper."

"Aw, you take the fun out of everything!" Barry whined.

"You're kidding." There was silence. "You're not kidding. I can see why you would have nowhere else to go. However," Aiden frowned, "how do we know that he really is Barry? It could just be someone claiming to be him."

Of course Aiden knew he was the real deal, but there was no harm in checking. The armor acted the same from what she could remember. It was surprising she remembered anything at all aside from what was in the journal. Aiden froze and stared at the counter where it rested, thankfully closed.

"What?" Barry gasped, offended at the accusation. "Ask me about my chops! I won't miss anything!"

"Let's get situated first."

Aiden moved three of her table chairs to circle around the coffee table. Barry and Aiden took the couch while the other three opted for the chairs. In a line it would be Barry, Aiden, Roy, Riza, and Falman. Aiden took a large, metal spoon from her kitchen and sat on the arm of the couch. It was a much better vantage point to hit Barry if he did anything.

"Falman," Roy ordered.

"Sir," Falman nodded. Then the man went off with questions about who Barry murdered and when. It took a while too, an hour even. Aiden had relaxed and was staring disinterestedly at the space in front of her. "Barry, who was killed May third, year 9?"

"That was Reynolds. I hacked 'im up behind the liquor warehouse in district five."

"August twenty-ninth, year 10."

"Hendrick. Said my meat was no good. See who's laughin' now, eh?"

"January fifth, year 8."

"Larry and Cynthia. Only time I've killed two people in one night. Good workout."

"What about the Gadriel incident on March third, year 11?"

"I killed Gadriel on the thirteenth, you idiot, not the third! Beautiful full moon that night. The way the moonlight glistened in the pools of blood... You had to be there."

"So, what do you think?" Roy asked.

Falman sighed. "He won't fall for any of my traps. I think he may be the real thing."

Aiden nodded in agreement. "I work in investigations and while my memory is great, even I wouldn't be able to give out details about the moon on those days."

'Ha!" Barry laughed. "I told you I wasn't a fake! I'll chop you all into pieces, then we'll see who's the fake!"

Aiden reached over and without thinking, clonked her metal spoon against Barry's head. "Stop it," she warned.

"Come on sweetie, I was just kidding!"

Roy rolled his eyes and glared at Barry. "Okay, we believe you're him. But if you were supposed to have been executed, what are you doing here?"

"And for that matter, how'd you end up in a suit of armor, just like Alphonse?" Aiden asked.

"Before I answer that, I have a question of my own. You guys are all military, right? But you didn't know that they put me in this armor body?"

"That's right," Roy nodded.

"I see, I see! So you don't know anything about Laboratory Five either, do you?"

Aiden stared at Barry with a blank expression.

"What are you talking about?" Roy asked.

"That Alphonse kid snuck in with his bro. That's when I fought him. He's a pretty good fighter."

Roy stared at the armor as Major Armstrong's words came back to him. 'The Elric brothers were here... What they're looking for is a legend, after all.' The brothers snuck into a lab and the only thing they ever searched for was the Philosopher's Stone. His fists clenched and Aiden stared warily at the man.

"Barry... Tell me more about that night."

Barry laughed and held up a finger to point at the Colonel. "If you promise not to snitch on me to the guys that made me like this, I'll tell you everything I know."

Aiden closed her eyes.

"Excellent."

Barry explained his existence and the purpose of the Fifth Laboratory. Falman and Riza both looked slightly disturbed when it came up and Roy and Aiden's faces were blank. Envy and Lust were brought up as the people in charge of those who made Barry. When the tale had finished Aiden had already begun cooking her dinner. And while it wasn't the perfect time to eat, she had yet to fill up on any meal besides the two coffee cups she'd drunk over thirteen hours ago. The smell of the food was appetizing, but with such a serious and important part of history being told Aiden felt that the smell was bittersweet.

"The Philosopher's Stone," Roy said, staring down at his little notebook. He had used it to take notes while Barry talked.

"I can't believe the laboratory was being used for something like that." Falman shook his head in distaste. To think the military would be involved in such a matter...

Riza added. "There's also the chance that it may involve military senior staff."

"Don't forget about Lust and Envy," Aiden reminded as she leaned over the counter. That would throw everyone off if they forgot.

Roy nodded in agreement. "What do they look like?"

"Well, Lust is all... ba-da-boom! She looks real succulent. I'd love to get my cleaver in her! Envy's kinda bony. Not much meat on those bones. Full of gristle I'd wager." Barry took in the displeased and troubled looks he was getting. He tilted his head. "Somethin' wrong?"

"Please don't ever describe people like that again," Aiden said, rubbing her eyes. The strain of the day was taking its toll, she needed to take out her contacts soon.

"So," Roy said, bring the topic back to focus, "after they executed you, did those two transmute your soul?"

"Nah, that was the researcher's job. Plus," Barry added, "they didn't kill me first. They sucked my soul from my body while I was still alive and stuck it in this body. It's not like I had a choice in the matter. You can't imagine the pain... I wish they had just executed me!"

"We can try tracking down these researchers. If we can find them, maybe they can tell us who ordered the experiments," Falman thought aloud.

Barry shot down the idea quicker than Aiden dropped him to the floor. "Not gonna happen. They used the researchers as ingredients for the stone. Not a single one of them were left alive. It happened just a few days before the building collapsed."

"Silenced and then used as ingredients," Roy mumbled.

"How morbidly efficient," Aiden finished. The pot behind her drew her attention, and she turned away from the group to stir the corn once more.

"Do you think this means they have what they need or will they try to make additional stones?" Riza questioned.

Roy didn't answer the Lieutenant. He gazed back at Barry with a dark look. "Just one last question."

The tone in his voice made Aiden freeze and she was thankful they were all focused on Barry. If she hadn't been cooking she would have been with the group, so she was also thankful that the stove let her turn her back to them. Otherwise she wouldn't have been able to hide her shudder.

"A little over a month ago a military officer was killed in a telephone booth here in Central. Were you the one who did it?"

Barry shook his head. "It doesn't sound familiar. Was he all cut up?"

Roy closed his notebook with an audible slap and Aiden slowly released her breath. "Nevermind. If you don't know then just forget about it." He stood up and shrugged on the black jacket that had been hanging on the back of his chair. "For now, we need to figure out what to do with him."

Aiden looked up from the boiling pot and turned around. "I know a place. It's not too far from an old bell tower we have here and not too many people go to that side of Central." She quickly tore out a page from the journal, making sure it was blank on both sides, and drew a map on it. "District Twelve is fairly abandoned but those who are there mind their own business. And any rumors that could possibly pop up are ignored. Mainly just because of how absurd they become. Last I heard there was a red-spotted cat with clown shoes flying around."

She ignored the strange look Roy gave her and handed Falman the paper. "I'm babysitting him?" Falman cried incredulously.

"Do you recommend anyone else? Roy and I are almost senior staff, we can't be gone for long without arousing suspicion. Riza can't either, she's Roy's second in command. I don't think my team can handle something like this and I don't feel comfortable bringing them into it. That leaves you." There was silence as Falman sulked and accepted his fate as a babysitter for a murderous suit of armor. Aiden almost felt sorry for him.

"You've already thought this through," Roy observed.

Aiden had always been the strategist in the war and it seemed her mind hadn't changed since then. With the news of the stones, Laboratory Five, the military's involvement, and Lust and Envy.... it seemed like they were on the brink of another war. Except this time he didn't think the citizens of Amestris would know until the very end.

Roy's instincts were more often than not correct. And they said a storm was coming and to gather his chess pieces before it was too late. They also said that he could trust Aiden.

Roy nodded and looked away from Aiden to his subordinate. "Keep him under guard and out of sight of civilians and the military. I'll arrange your time off so you don't have to worry about anything but taking care of Barry."

They sent Falman and Barry off with the warning to not get caught. Riza told Barry not to chop Falman up while Aiden gave Falman some chicken and corn to tide him over until Roy could send someone later. Then it was Riza's turn to go.

"I have to get back," she said, gathering her groceries from Aiden's counter. She nodded at the two. "Colonel, Aiden." She declined the chicken and food offered. Aiden waved as she left and gave Black Hayate a few pats before they too were gone.

The two people left stared at the door for a few moments before Aiden got to work on putting the chairs back in place. Roy followed along and put his and Riza's back. Her hands rested on the back of the chair for a moment and as she spaced out. Roy glanced at her. The slight bruising on her knuckles caught his eye. Her hand was brought up to her face and a tired sigh escaped her.

"Rough day?" he guessed, startling Aiden. She'd forgotten he was there.

Aiden removed the hand from her face and smiled. "Yeah."

The smile didn't reach her eyes. As he looked closer, he could see dark circles under her eyes and how her frame looked slightly smaller compared to when he'd last seen. Roy frowned in concern. What could take such a bad toll on Aiden? The woman he knew had boundless energy, but this one was tired, worn out by something.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Roy went to say more but Aiden carried on. The food was still on the stove, thankfully turned off. "Hey, you want some?"

"I have to go to H.Q. to start digging."

Aiden shrugged and placed the food in another tupperware dish before handing it to him. "Then take this, you don't look all that healthy."

Roy went to object that she was the one who needed the food but his stomach rumbled at the smell of Aiden's cooking. He sighed and took the food. "Alright." He walked over to the door and shrugged on his black coat. Then he looked back at Aiden. "You'll take care of yourself, right?"

Aiden almost smiled at Roy. For once he was asking her to take care rather than the other way around. "I will."

He hesitated a moment and then pulled her into a hug. Her arms tightly wrapped around his middle and she breathed in the comforting ashwood and minty scent. Her hair smelt of oranges and Roy smiled, grateful that she hadn't jumped away from his contact. He took in a deep breath and tightened his arms. It was as if he was trying to keep a hold of her to protect her from the world.

"You're sure you want to be a part of this? It'll be dangerous."

"I'll follow you," she whispered into his chest. Through Hell or high water she'd follow him.

"Will you tell me if there's anything wrong?" he asked softly.

"I make no promises, but I'll do my best."

Roy nodded and pulled away from the hug. He placed a quick kiss on her forehead and left the apartment. Aiden was left staring at the door, her mind blank and her sense of time-skewed. She blinked and her mind focused.

"I'm in trouble," she said, biting her lip.